Olympics memories

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, February 28, 2010

As the world watched the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver, spectators here in America had lots to cheer. Looking back at the game, we offer some of our favorite memories:

* Snowboarder Shaun White, the gold already wrapped up, set the world abuzz as he hurled skyward in something called a Double McTwist 1260 (comprised of two flips and 3-1/2 spins) on his final run.

* Lindsey Vonn, a favorite to win several medals, skied 65 mph down a bumpy mountain with the pain of an injured shin as she covered the 2,939-meter Whistler course in just 1 minute 44.19 seconds to win the gold. She collapsed on her back, shouting in pure joy. She didn't meet the expectations of all the pre-Olympic hype, but she did get what she came for — her first career Olympic medal.

*Canadian Joannie Rochette, who won the hearts of all as she bravely skated to a bronze medal just days after her mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack.

* Speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who captured three medals at the Vancouver games, bringing his Olympic medal total to eight. The short track skater always is a thrill to watch and we hope he arrives at the 2014 winter games in Sochi, Russia, as a competitor and not a TV commentator.

* Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane who finished 1-2 in the Nordic combine, both saying they didn't care which one of them won the gold as long as one of them won the gold.

* And then there is the U.S. men's hockey team, the youngest of 12 teams in the tournament. They weren't even considered a contender, but ended up taking the silver and gave the world a thrill on Sunday. USA tied the game with seconds left in regulation, and Canada ended up winning in overtime.

Team USA finished with the most medals overall — 37 of them, a Winter Olympic record.

Congratulations to our athletes. We already are looking forward to Sochi.